Power transmission system



Jan. 20, 1953 N. w. LEWIS 2,625,841

POWER TRANSMISSION SYSTEM Filed D90. 2, 1949 2 SHEETSSHEET l INVENTOR Nei/son 14/. Lew/ls BY 5 I744? ATTORNEY Jan. 20, 1953 N. w. LEWIS 2,625,341

POWER TRANSMISSION SYSTEM Filed Dec. 2, 1949 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 l l v N) W F- I-II III- k I Q Illlllllll 5 Q INVENTOR- Nei/Jon W A cW/ls ATTORNEY as in power vehicles.

Patented Jan. 20, 1953 POWER TRANSMISSION SYSTEM Ncilson W. Lewis, Washington, D. 0., assignor of forty per cent to Archibald McLachlen, Washington, D. 0.

Application December 2, 1949, Serial No. 130,748

4 Claims. (01. 74-752) This invention relates to a power transmission system, specifically, to an automatic transmission with an infinitely varying ratio between the speed and torque of the input shaft to the speed and torque of the output shaft.

This invention is similar to and is an improvement on the apparatus described in prior Patent No. 2,476,245. Like the prior patent, this novel transmission has the characteristic of the driven shaft being perfectly adaptable to the torque requirements of the load. This feature is desirable when transmissions are used in a power system which acts against a load of varying magnitude As will be seen, the speed of the driven shaft is governed, in an inverse ratio, with the magnitude of the load requirement, and varies directly with the power input to the transmission.

Considered broadly, the present invention utilizes the alternating accelerations from two sets of planetarily mounted eccentric Weights, upon a flywheel which is interposed between the two sets of weights; the inertia forces on the flywheel from these accelerations coacting with impulses caused by centrifugal force on the two sets of weights, to produce a smooth output force. To reduce overall size of the transmission, one set of weights may be replaced by a spring.

To illustrate this action, preferred physical embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a half cross-section of a side elevation of a transmission unit with two sets of eccentric weights; and

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section taken on line 2-2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section of a side elevation of a transmission uni-t with one set of weights and a spring; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section taken on line 44 of Fig. 3.

The present invention, as previously noted, comprises the provision of an automatically changing, variable torque transmission in which two sets of eccentric weights of different mass are mounted on the planetary gears of two epicyclic gear systems which are interconnected through a differential gear on which a flywheel is mounted. Inertia forces from cyclically intermittent accelerations of the flywheel and components of the centrifugal forces on the two weights combine at the housing of the differential gear to provide a uniform and infinitely varying ratio of output torque to input torque.

This mode of operation will be readilyvunderstood from a consideration of the mechanism shown in the accompanying drawings.

The variable transmission unit is interposed between driving shaft I and driven shaft 2. The driving shaft is connected to a power source and the driven shaft is connected to the unit on which the driving torque is to be exerted.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the transmission mechanism includes the case 3 of two epicyclic gear systems, which case is rigidly attached to drive shaft I.

The case 3 carries the pairs,of diametrically positioned shafts I and 8, and 9 and I0. To shaft I is rigidly attached gear I I and eccentrically positioned weight I2. Similarly, eccentric Weight It and gear I3 are rigidly attached to shaft 8. Weights I2 and I4 are equal and are mounted at an equal distance from their shaft axes.

Shafts 9 and I0 are similarly provided with planetary gears and with eccentric weights which are attached in a resilient manner. The shaft 9 has rigidly attached thereto the gear I5 and resiliently attached by means of spring 2|, the eccentric weight I6. Similarly, on shaft I0 is rigidly mounted gear I1, and is resiliently mounted by spring 22, eccentric weight I8. Weights I6 and I8 are equal and are positioned,

at an equal distance from their respective axes. Spring 2I has a degree of resilience equal to that;

of spring 22.

Planetary gears I I and I3 mesh with the central? gear 23 which is mounted as an idler gear upon; the driven shaft 2. Crown gear 25 is aifixed to gear 23. Similarly, gears I5 and I1 mesh with. central gear 24, also freely mounted upon shaft; 2 and crown gear 25 is attached to gear 24. Crown gears 25 and 26 are positioned on opposite sides of, and. mesh with the bevel gears 21 and 28 which are rigidly mounted on shafts 29 and 30, freely mounted in the central spider 3|, which, in turn, is mounted on, and is securely affixed to the driven shaft 2. On shafts 29 and 30 are rigidly mounted flywheels 32 and 33. These flywheels have relatively large moments of inertia and make an important contribution to the final torque output.

It is to be noted that the eccentric weights I8 and I3 have a larger moment about their respective axes than weights I2 and I4, and also to be noted that the ratio of the radii of gears I5 and I! to radius of gear 24 differs from the ratio of the radii of gears II and I3 to the radius of gear 23. As case 3 revolves and as the driven shaft 2 tends to be held stationary by the load, the pairs of planetary gears areforced to rotate in the same direction as the case. Eccentric weight pairs l2 and I4, and I6 and I8, are thus forced inward, but, as they do so, are also pulled outward by the centrifugal force from the rotation of case 3. While modified by the ratio of the gears on the two sides of the inner gear train, the larger moment arms of Weight pair I B and [-8 offers more resistance to this inward motion than that of weight pair l2 and M. Therefore, as case 3 continues to revolve, Weight pair [2 and 4 make complete revolutions about the axes of shafts l and 8, while weight pair l6 and I8 oscillate through partial revolutions about the axes of shafts 9 and H].

To maintain uniformity of torque output, "it is desirable to limit the range of the angle of oscillation to that where very nearly equals sine 0 or from 0 to 10". For that reason, the radius ratio of gears l and I! to gear 241s approximately four times the radius ratio of gears H and I 3 to gear 23. In order to insure oscillation of the large weights it and I8, their effective total moment a rmfmodified by this factor of four and applied at the bevel gears 21 and 28, must be approximately twice the effective total 'mome'nt arm of the small Weights 12 and it applied on the opposite side of the bevel gears. The moment arms of weights l5 and it about their own axes are thus approximately eight times that of weights l2 and IE.

As case 3 moves past the stationary or more slowly moving spider 3|, the large weights, relatively stationary with respect to the case, cause the small weights andthefiywheels 32 and-33 to make complete revolutions. 'As the small weights move from an outermost to an innermost position, centrifugal 'force on them causes a deceleration of the flywheel rotation and in so doing, exerts positive pressure through the housings of shafts 29 and SU'ontO'tl'ie Spider 3i and the driven shaft '2. At approximately the innermost position of the small weights, pressure from the case to the spider is relieved as applied by crown gear '25 on bevel gears ZTand '28 and the dominating positive pressure path, from case to spider, is from the large weights. The "centrifugal force on the large weights now causes an acceleration of the flywheel rotation and exerts a consequent positive impulse upon the spider 3i and the driven shaft '2. Backlash of crown gear 25 on the bevel gears from the negative impulse -from the small weights, as they pass from the innermost to outermost positions is absorbed by providing shafts i and 8 with suitable moments of inertia. y 7

It should be noted that, as the case-slips past the spider, there exists -a tendency for this movement to occur with the least possible disturbance, that is, that this slippage will build up the least total displacement of the weights' on both sides of the central difierential gear at any time. Because of this trend, which maintains and is maintained by, in a reciprocal and interacting manner, the pendulum=like oscillation of the large weights and gears 15, I1, :23 and 2 3, 'and'the cyclical acceleration and deceleration of the small weights andgears l 1., 1'3, 23, '25, 27 and 28, the large weights are at an outermost position or at a position of minimum positive impulse when the small weights are at a position of maximum positive impulse or 90 from an outermost position. Similarly, the large weights are at an innermost position or a position of maximum positive impulse when the small weights are at 'a position of maximum negativ impulse or 270" from an outermost position. This aperiodic correlation gives a dove-tailing eiiect on the combination, at the spider, of the cyclical impulse from the weights on both sides of the difierential gear.

Components of the centrifugal forces on the large and on the small weights travel through the gears on each side of the gear train, each reacting against the inertia elements in its respective path, and, meeting at the differential gears 21 and 28, combine with the inertia reaction of the flywheels 3 2 and 33 to exert on the spider and on the driven shaft a continuous torque equalling and meeting the requirement of the load. To increase smoth-ness of output torque, large weights l6 and 48 "are resiliently connected to shafts 9 and I0. As demonstrated by an experimental model, theoutput torque was approximately 98% constant.

The principle of utilizing the inertia reactions from a cyclically accelerating and decelerating inertia element combined with motivating period'ic impulses from two mutually reacting elemerits may be embodied in other specific forms. The small weights and the large weights may both be replaced by springs, oneither one of the two, only, may be replaced by a spring or a set of springs. lhe set of springs replacing the small weights would be attached to the case and may be actuated by cranks, cams, or similar devices attached to the planetary gears H and it. The large weights, planetary gears l5 and H, and their shafts 9 and It, may allbe replaced by a single coil spring, one end being attached to the case and the other being attached to the crown gear 25.

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate this type of embodiment which is advantageous in applications where light weight and compactness are at a premium. Spring 38 is rigidly attached to crown gear 26 and to the case 3 by means of spring housing 35.

The action of this unit is essentially the same as in the previously described embodiment, the spring expanding and contracting in a, cyclical movement, interacting with sine-like periodic impulses from the-rotating weights I2 and 14 to cause periodic accelerations and d'ecelerations of rotating flywheels 32 and 33 and combining at the spider 31 with the impulses from weights [2 and hi, and with the inertia reactions from the accelerations and decelerations of flywheels 32 and 33 to produce a smooth, continuous output torque, conditioned to the requirement of the load, on the driven shaft 2.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it is to be understood that these are given to illustrate the underlying principles involved and not as limiting the useful scope of the invention except as such limitations are clearly imposed by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An automatic variable transmission comprising a drive shaft, a driven shaft, a housing in driving connection with the driven shaft, two pairs of symmetrically positioned differentially weighted planet gears carried by the housing the gears of one pair being of equal weight and diametrically positioned, and the gears of the other pair being of equal weight but greater than the Weight of the gears of the first said pair, and weighted by a mass connected to such gears through a resilient connecti'oma'n epicyclic gear train including idling gears in driving connection with the driven shaft, the said planetgea-rs bein in mesh'with the idling gears of said train, the

in which the more heavily weighted gears are 15 6. weighted by means of an eccentric mass connected. to the gear through a spring.

NEILSON W. LEWIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 Number Name Date 1,461,559 Reece et al. July 10, 1923 1,525,070 Coleman Feb. 3, 1925 1,741,860 Lyman et al Dec. 31, 1929 1,741,861 Lyman et a1 Dec. 31, 1929 2,476,245 Lewis July 12, 1949 

